Lorenzo Pellegrini has reportedly emerged on the radar of Barcelona as a potential alternative to Georginio Wijnaldum this summer.
According to a report by Spanish publication AS, Barcelona seem to be turning their attention away from Georginio Wijnaldum following Paris Saint-Germain’s hijack of their move for the Dutchman. The Blaugrana have now set their sights on 24-year-old Italian international Lorenzo Pellegrini.
For around a year now, Barcelona have been hot on the trails of Georginio Wijnaldum, set to become a free agent after running down his contract with Liverpool. There had even been claims that the Blaugrana had reached an agreement to sign the Dutch international on a Bosman move.
However, everything has gone caput in the eleventh hour, with Paris Saint-Germain offering him more than double the wages Barcelona offered. With Wijnaldum now looking set to make his way to the French capital, Barcelona have been forced to scour the transfer market for potential alternatives. And, one such target is Lorenzo Pellegrini.
Pellegrini has been with AS Roma from the beginning of his youth footballing days, having joined the Italian outfit in 2005, aged nine. After making swift progress through the ranks at the club, the player made his first-team debut in 2015 at the budding age of 2015. However, it is only after he returned to Stadio Olimpico after a two-year stint with Sassuolo that the 24-year-old started flourishing at Roma.
Such has been the progress made by the Italian international that he is not just a regular for club and country but also the Giallorossi’s captain. However, with Pellegrini’s current deal having just a little over a year remaining before it runs out, Roma are in a precarious position over his future, especially with Barcelona weighing up a potential summer swoop.
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The interest from the Catalan giants does make a great deal of sense, considering Philippe Coutinho does not seem to have much of a future at Camp Nou. At the same time, Riqui Puig and Carles Alena also have a lot of question marks surrounding their Barcelona futures.
While Ilaix Moriba emerged as a breath of fresh air in the season gone by, even his future appears to be somewhat uncertain, even though Barcelona have opened talks over a renewal. Nevertheless, it looks like Pellegrini could be the one to bolster the Blaugrana’s midfield this summer, following the collapse of Wijnaldum’s deal.
